Acting Police Commissioner Steve Long, this evening rebutted claims made on Television Three's 6pm news that a police applicant was associated with the Bali bombings.
"First, the applicant was a New Zealand citizen of African origins.
"Secondly, he has no criminal convictions. There is no evidence whatsoever to link him to any terrorists or extremists of any kind.
"The Bali word was conveyed by a member of the public who reported on another person who is an associate of this applicant and only in the context of 'the reason I am talking to the police is you can never be too careful - remember Bali' - that sort of context.
"This young man has no contact in any way with the Bali bombings.
"Earlier checks were done on this man and they picked up this issue around a national security investigation but they missed that the applicant had a small history of domestic trouble.
"I have spoken with the Police management in Auckland and I am informed that a set of checks would have been done prior to this applicant reaching the SCOPE stage had he got that far.
"I am also informed by recruiting staff that last Thursday a decision was made that he was not a suitable applicant to join the Police. SCOPE, which is a Police programme in which applicants spend time in police stations and police cars to find out what the job is about, was planned for late September and in this man's case would have been cancelled.
"There is no doubt that this young man will be disappointed with the outcome of his application but I would encourage anyone who is interested in joining the Police to pursue their goal. Police will do our utmost to ensure that applications of this sort are treated privately and I sincerely hope that all other public spirited folk will respect this man's privacy," said Acting Commissioner Long.